Last weekend, I went to Glasgow to visit MK, and on Saturday we took a day trip tour to the Highlands, and here’s what we got up to.
Our first stop on the trip was Inveraray. Here we got some much needed coffee and breakfast. Afterwards, we didn’t have too long to explore, but there’s not much to do there anyway, so it was ok. Also, I just went to Inveraray this summer and got to go in the castle. This time I explored more of the town.
Next, we took a stop on the side of the road just past the Bridge of Orchy. I don’t know where we were, and I’m sure it would have been a good view with a little less mist. We had a good couple of minutes there anyway.
Next we had a little bit of a longer stop at Glencoe, which is my favorite place on earth. I have been there in summer, autumn, and spring, but never winter. It looks so different at different times of the year, but it’s always stunning. There were also shenanigans in Glencoe.
We stopped in Fort William for lunch, which was alright. I’ve always thought Fort William is a bit touristy, but at least there were lots of options. I’ve also never got to actually walk around before, so I guess that was good.
Our next stop was our final destination: Glenfinnan. We had about 2 hours there to explore, which was perfect, because it was raining the whole time and we already got soaked.
First we walked up a little hill to get a view of the Glenfinnan Viaduct, which is famous for being part of the route of the Hogwarts Express in the Harry Potter films. It’s also the largest concrete structure in the UK, but I don’t think anyone really cares about that.
We then crossed the river and walked towards the viaduct. It was really impressive up close – it’s so big!
Then there’s a trail that’s about a 30-minute walk over the hill that gives you a really great view of the glen. The loch is where they filmed the scenes in Harry Potter that were supposed to take place on the Black Lake, which is pretty cool. It’s such a stunning location, it’s no wonder why they decided to film so much in the area.
From there you can continue to the old train station, where you can still catch a train! Inside the station is one of the tiniest museums I’ve ever been in. It only costs 50p to get in. I didn’t take any pictures, because I got distracted by the fire inside and just stood by it trying to dry off and warm up.
From the train station, it’s a short walk back to where the bus was parked. We hopped back on the bus and happily started to dry off. It was about a 3-hour drive back to Glasgow, and I slept almost the whole way.
We got back about 8:30pm and MK and I went to get dinner at the Hillhead Bookclub near the University of Glasgow and I highly recommend it. I think I’m going to dream about the risotto I had until I have the opportunity to go back and have it again.
I had such a nice weekend in Glasgow and the Highlands with MK and her friends. I hope this is the beginning of more exploration in Scotland this semester!
